ILLUSTRATION

PHOTOS

CONSERVATION STATUS

UK Conservation Status

European Conservation Status

Conservation Description

In the UK, Isle of Man, and Ireland, the Stone-curlew is a rare summer resident at a few sites in Suffolk and Norfolk. It has an "Amber" status because of its small, localised breeding populations.

SUMMARY

Overview

Stone-curlew: Wood Pigeon-sized with large yellow eyes. Pale brown with dark brown streaks on upperparts, neck, and breast. Much white above and below eye and on lores. Also white throat and belly. Short bill yellow with black tip, green-yellow legs and feet. Wings pale brown, black, and white.

Range and Habitat

Stone-curlew: Scarce summer breeder in England. Can be seen from early spring through late summer when birds depart for winter grounds in Africa. Birds prefer dry, sparse, open-country landscapes and are usually visible only in Norfolk and Wiltshire.

SONGS AND CALLS

Voice Text

"cur-lee," "churrrreee"

INTERESTING FACTS

The Stone-curlew is not related to the curlew; the common name comes from the stone-curlew's repeated 'kur-lee' call.

The specific name Oedicnemus derives from the Greek for 'swollen shinned', these birds are also known as "Thick Knees" due to their large, heavy-looking legs.

Other local names for this bird include "Norfolk plover" and "Goggle eyes."

A group of curlews has many collective nouns, including a "curfew", "salon", and "skein" of curlews.

RELATED BIRDS

RANGE MAP

FAMILY DESCRIPTION

Stone-curlews (Burhinidae)

ORDER

The taxonomic order CHARADRIIFORMES (pronounced kah-RAH-dree-ih-FOR-meez) is composed of nineteen bird families including the gulls, sandpipers, and auks.

FAMILY TAXONOMY

The stone-curlews are placed in the Burhinidae (pronounced bur-HIN-ih-dee) family, a small group of ten species in two genera found on all continents except for Antarctica (IOC World Bird List, version 2.3).

EUROPE

Two species of stone-curlews and thick-knees in two genera have been identified in Europe. These two species are the Stone-curlew (Eurasian), and the Senegal Thick-knee.

KNOWN FOR

Stone-curlews are known for their large eyes that befit their rather nocturnal behaviour. Most species are also known for their preference for dry, open habitats despite their resemblance to wading birds (such as sandpipers) that prefer more aquatic habitats.

PHYSICAL

Stone-curlews are medium sized birds with fairly long legs, small feet, medium length tails, rather short, thick necks, and long wings. They have large, rounded heads with large eyes, and their medium length bills are stout and straight, or slightly upcurved.

COLORATION

Stone-curlews are for the most part cryptically plumaged in browns and greys with white bellies, and have yellow in the eyes, bill, legs, and feet. Some species have black streaking while others are plainer grey, and all have black on the bill. Most species also have black and white markings on the head and in the wings.

GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT

The most widespread member of the Burhinidae that occurs in Europe, the Stone-curlew, is found on dry, stony plains and other sparsely vegetated habitats. In Europe, it has a very local distribution and is only widespread in Spain. The other member of this family that occurs in the region, the Senegal Thick-knee, is found in wetter habitats of the Nile Delta.

MIGRATION

Most of the Stone-curlews in Europe are short distance migrants to southwestern Europe and northern Africa.

HABITS

Stone-curlews often occur in pairs or small family groups, and a few species also occur in small flocks outside of the breeding season. They forage for insects by picking them off of the ground, and mostly call and feed at night.

CONSERVATION

The two members of the Burhinidae that occur in Europe are not threatened and have stable populations. The Bush Stone-curlew and Beach Stone-curlew of southeastern Asia and Australia are, however, considered to be near-threatened. Both of these species have declining populations that are threatened by habitat destruction, disturbance while nesting, and introduced predators such as the Red Fox.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Stone-curlew gets its name from its preference for stony areas and its vocalizations that are reminiscent of those of the curlew.

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters
of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus)
and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante
(2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42
(Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported
by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990 s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and
expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html.
You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use
the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.